Perfect Games!

Game 4: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Atlanta Braves vs Pittsburgh Pirates- Thursday, April 18, 2o13

There are thirty teams in the major leagues. So what do you think are the odds that of the four games we have been to thus far, we would be seeing the Atlanta Braves three times in a row in three different cities. Go figure! But that’s exactly what happened following the Cubs-Rangers rainout at Wrigley on Wednesday. If we go to one more Braves game, then they should just add us to their roster.

For a while it looked like we may not be able to even leave Chiacgo in time to get to Pittsburgh. A weather advisory was in effect and it was not certain if we would be cleared for take-off. Eventually, after a minor delay, we did get out of Chicago and arrived in Pittsburgh in the early afternoon. The first think that we noticed was the beautiful day. “There will be a game today,” we said to ourselves. Thank Goodness! After checking into the hotel, we went over for a quick visit to the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. It’s a really cool place! We then had a late lunch (yes, at Pittsburgh’s Hard Rock Cafe!) and headed to the ballpark.

There is really only one word to describe the PNC Park: Magnificent!

The stadium sits like a jewel, right by the river with its string of stately bridges. Since we got there about 45 minutes before game time, we walked around the outside of the ballpark and took pictures of the statues of Pirates legends – J.P. “Honus” Wagner (The Flying Dutchman), Willie “Pops” Stargell, Roberto Clemente (The Great One), and Bill “Maz” Mazeroski. The inside of the park is just as gorgeous. When you look beyond the centerfield, there is a spectacular skyline view of Pittsburgh. The open design of the ballpark is done so well that during the game you could go into the concourse  and walk around while still staying connected with the action on the field. In a recent survey, PNC Park was rated as the best ballpark in the majors and we can see why. The fans and the game are intimately tied together. The only pity though, was the attendance. With just 11,000 plus fans on hand, most of the seats were empty. That’s too bad. If we could, we would come here everyday!

We had awesome seats down the third base line only about fifty feet or so from the bag. The seats were also close to the Pirates dugout. We saw Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen signing autographs just a few feet away from us and their starting pitcher A. J. Burnett giving an interview on top of the dugout steps. In fact, many of the players on both sides went right by us as they were getting on and off the field.

The game, too, was a beauty. Tight all the way through. B. J. Upton got things going early with a lead-off homer in the first inning to put the Braves in front 1-0. The Bucs came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame thanks to a sacrifice fly by Garrett Jones that scored Travis Snider. In the second frame, Russell Martin homered off of Braves starter Julio Teheran to put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1. The lead was short lived. With two outs in the top of the third, Pirates starter Jeff Locke walked Justin Upton and the next batter, Chris Johnson, belted a homer to center to help regain the lead at 3-2. Atlanta, however, would let the Bucs tie it up in the bottom of the fourth. In style. Pedro Alvarez hit a monster homer, the biggest we have seen on this trip, that bounced off Pittsburgh’s version of the green monster behind the center field fence. It was a 448-foot tape measure job. Whew! The Braves came right back in the next frame, thanks to a homer by Justin Upton who has now hit a long ball in all three Braves games that we have been to on this trip. But Atlanta would squander the lead again, allowing a RBI  double to Garrett Jones that brought home Travis Snider from second.  The game was tied at 4 and stayed that way through the late innings. Then in the top of the eighth,  Andrelton Simmons drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bruce Laird. The pitcher’s spot was up next but the Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez took a chance and sent in his bench catcher, Evan Gattis, to pinch hit. Gattis responded by launching a fly ball toward left field.  For a while, the home faithfuls watched with bated breath and hoped that the ball would curl foul, but it ended up staying fair and finding the seats. The two-run shot proved to be the difference in the game as Atlanta held on to win 6-4. Evan Gattis is turning into a folk legend in Atlanta. When you have a moment, you should check out this story about him. It’s really neat and filled with great human interest.

This turned out to be a great game that was close and hard-fought. In addition to the long balls, we saw several doubles, sacrifice bunts, and astonishing defensive plays in the infield and outfield. We also saw a runner getting picked off trying to steal second. After the game we went back to the hotel and started packing for our next stop.

See you soon!

We knew this was bound to happen sooner or later. Today it did. Ugh!

As our flight from Atlanta touched down in Chicago this afternoon, we knew things were not looking too good. The skies were overcast, and it was dark, damp, cold, and miserable. After checking into the hotel, we headed to yet another Hard Rock Cafe for lunch as the rain began to pick up. Towards the end of the meal, our waiter told us that the Cubs -Rangers game at Wrigley Field that we had come to see was going to be delayed by the rain. He didn’t seem to think they would play at all today. As it turned out, he was right. When we got to Wrigley, it looked like a ghost stadium. There was virtually nobody there and workers in Cubs uniform were going the other way, away from the stadium. We soon learned from one of the officials that the game has been postponed due to the weather and that was that. No word yet on when the game will be rescheduled.

We came back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit, and turned in early as we will be flying out to the next town tomorrow morning.

Bye now. We’ll see you soon.

Game 3: Turner Field, Atlanta, GA

Kansas City Royals vs Atlanta Braves – Tuesday, April 16, 2013

[It was during dinner on Monday evening that we looked up at the airport TV monitors and learned about the terrible events at the Boston marathon. Being familiar with the city, and having family and friends living in the area, we were shocked, worried, saddened, and angered by what had occurred. What a shame! Our prayers immediately went out to all the victims. In the seventh inning at Turner Field on Tuesday, they played Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, the signature anthem of the Boston Red Sox, and on the big screen they showed fans holding up a sign that said “Pray 4 Boston.” It was a beautiful and heartwarming moment. We since learned that similar shows of support and unity were on display at other venues as well. Evil will not win.]

Baseball is a strange game.

When Chris Getz stepped up to the plate at the top of the third inning, a taunting message flashed on the giant scoreboard. It noted that “In 829 at bats for the Royals, Getz had never hit a home run.” Moments later, the aforementioned Getz crushed a fast ball over the right field wall for his first homer since 2009, which actually works out to 954 at bats. Ha- ha! Who is laughing now, scoreboard? The Getz homer tied the game at the time after Juan Francisco had staked the Braves to a 1-o lead with a solo shot in the second. The game was pretty tight all the way up to seventh inning with KC nursing a slender 2-1 lead.   In the bottom of the seventh, Juan Francisco deposited his second home run of the evening over the center field wall and tied the game. Still, there was no indication that a wild one was brewing on the day honoring #42 in Atlanta.

Then it happened in the bottom of the eighth. Flame throwing Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera fired a 98 mph pitch at Jason Heyward who crushed it over the left field wall to put the Braves ahead 3-2. The very next batter, Justin Upton, turned on a change up and clubbed a mammoth home run deep into the left field stands. After Evan Gattis popped out, Dan Uggla belted a solo shot to left-center off a 99 mph fast ball. Geez! These guys can hit!

The top of the ninth was notable, unfortunately, for the wrong reason. Braves reliever Luis Avilan, just as he was making the pitch, fell off the mound clutching his left hamstring and was writhing in pain. He later limped off the field with some help and was then carted off. It looked pretty gruesome. To add insult to injury, he was called for a balk. KC added a run in the ninth, but there was no stopping Atlanta in this one.

The Braves have a beautiful stadium and the fans were really passionate. We had seats by the right field line just beyond first base and only 12 rows back from the wall. The view was terrific and it was cool to see all the 42’s on the field. Every time the home team hit a home run, fireworks were set off and an opponent’s strike out was celebrated with flames from a local gas company logo. The famous Coke bottle over left field showed some really cool graphics and there was this guy whaling away at a giant drum behind center field.

Given how well the Braves are doing – they have now rattled off 10 in a row and are sitting on a ridiculous 12 and 1 record – we were surprised to see so many empty seats at the stadium. There was, however, a distinguished guest in the stands – home grown hero President Jimmy Carter who was shown briefly on the giant screen. The Braves sure know how to celebrate Jackie Robinson’s Day in style.

Our trip to Atlanta, although short, was a lot of fun. We flew in on Monday evening and on Tuesday morning took a trip over to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. We saw the home where Reverend King was born, his tomb as well as that of his wife Coretta Scott King, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church that the King family attended. We then ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and viewed their collection of rock memorabilia. After lunch we visited the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, before heading over to Turner Field.

We are now off to another city but our hearts and thoughts are with Boston. We’ll see you soon. Bye for now.

Game 2: Nationals Park, Washington D. C.

Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals – Sunday, April 14, 2013

We took the late evening train out of New York on Saturday night and by the time we checked into our hotel near D. C., it was a little after 1 am on Sunday. After some much needed sleep, we headed to the Nationals Park just after noon and got there about a half-hour before game time.

The Nationals Park is absolutely gorgeous (it prides itself on being America’s first major league “green” ballpark) and we had really nice seats just 5 rows back from the left field wall. By the time the game began, however, we realized that putting on sweatshirts and jackets to the game was not a particularly bright move. We were slowly getting roasted in our clothes. Even after the layers were off, it was sweltering. So much so that we retreated back into the stands to cooler confines during the middle innings. There’s got to be a way of air conditioning an entire city, right? So the title of this blog is really a plea.

As it turned out, it was not just the weather in D. C. that was hot. The Atlanta Braves were absolutely sizzling. The very first pitch of the game from Gio Gonzalez was roped into left field for a double by B. J. Upton and it was a portender of how the afternoon was going to turn out i.e. not so well for the home team. By the time fans were still getting to their  seats around the top of the third inning, the Braves were already up 7-0. The final score was 9-0. The game included a solo shot by B. J.’s brother Justin. It’s really cool that the two brothers get to play in the outfield for the same big league club. The one-upping Upton show continued with B. J. getting two more hits in the game. The crushing blow, however, came from the bat of Andrelton Simmons who launched a majestic three-run homer. Chris Johnson, too, had a fabulous afternoon with four hits. We also got to see some spectacular defensive plays by both sides. The Braves are clearly on a roll though. This was their ninth win in a row and they now have a major league best 11-1 record. Wow!

After the game, we went out for dinner with two former members of the Thamattoor Lab, Jess Levasseur ’10 and Martin Schnermann ’02. Martin was also joined by his wife Pinky. It was fun to catch up although we had to literally yell at one another to converse. Yup, you guessed it. We were at the D.C. edition of the Hard Rock Cafe. They had many really cool rock memorabilia and the place was very loud.

The next morning, we went on a tour of the Capitol. It was wonderful and we got to see the recently unveiled statue of Rosa Parks. After the tour, we headed to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. When we were in D.C. a few years ago the MLK, Jr. Memorial was still being built so it was nice to see the finished work. It’s hard not to get goosebumps reading the quotes on the wall. Our plan for this Washington trip was to see some of the attractions that we had missed the last time we were out here. So we spent the afternoon visiting the D.C. version of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, which had a large collection of wax US Presidents, and the Spy Museum where the main draw was the celebration of 50 years of James Bond. Makes you wonder. Why wouldn’t a major league team take a chance on Bond? Bet Cleveland could use him.

Later in the evening, we went back to the hotel to retrieve our bags and headed to the airport. Can you guess where we are going next? Come back soon and find out. Cheers!

Game 1: Yankee Stadium, New York City, NY

Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees – Saturday, April 13, 2013

Five big flies? A run cut down at the plate?? Cervelli manning second??? Cano playing short???? Someone we hadn’t seen in years joining us for the game today????? Wow! We witnessed a lot of cool stuff today but first things first.

After a three-hour bus trip from Augusta to Boston and then a four-hour train ride we arrived in New York City yesterday afternoon around 4:30. After checking in at the hotel, we headed out for a night on the town. Following obligatory visits to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, The Hard Rock Cafe, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not, however, we were pretty much wiped out and retired for the night. This morning, we spent three exquisite hours at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and made it to Yankee Stadium about half an hour before game time.

At the stadium, we were met by Doug Otte ’01, a former member of the Team Thamattoor Lab. The meeting, although pre-arranged, was initiated by chance. As it turned out, a friend of ours who was originally supposed to go with us to NYC could not make the trip and we had an extra ticket to the game. Coincidentally, just before we left Waterville, we got an email out of the blue from Doug (who was probably in a witness protection program somewhere all these years) just checking in to see how things were going. To make a long story short, we talked Doug into coming over from Jersey City and joining us for the game. He obliged and after nearly six years, we got to see him in front of Yankee Stadium!

Soon after we got into the stadium, we went up to the Yankees Museum for a quick look around. After snapping a few pictures we went down to our seats in the left field bleachers. The view was fantastic. The sun was playing hide-and-seek all afternoon, but it was a beautiful day.

The wind tunnel that is the right side of the new Yankee Stadium was quite active today. Four of the five homers we saw were launched in that direction. Only Vernon Wells got one over the left field, late in the game. We also got to see a spectacular play in which Ichiro Suzuki fired a relay to Robinson Cano, who then cut down Nate McClouth at the plate. After all these years, Ichiro still has a bazooka for an arm.

There was another interesting twist late in the game. The Yankees were down by two, but they had men on first and second. They chose to send Brennan Boesch to pinch hit for shortstop Jayson Nix, but he struck out promptly. In the top of the ninth, with Nix out, there was Robinson Cano playing shortstop for the first time in his professional career! Catcher Francisco Cervelli was moved to second, which was a “second” for him in his career! Weird!

After the game, we went back to Penn Station with Doug to get back on the road again.

Bye for now. See you in the next town!

The two of us are on a mission this year to catch a game at each of the thirty big league ballparks. Although school and a full-time job, not to mention fatuous team schedules, pose unreasonable obstacles to this noble pursuit, we believe we have just enough rabidity to overcome them. We’ll see. Our plan is to undertake this adventure in multiple legs, beginning in April and going through the end of summer. As per a mutually agreed upon policy we will be rooting for the home team. Sticking to this rule, we think, is not only the right thing to do, it likely minimizes the chance of getting beer spilled on us by the home crowd. This policy will be freely violated, of course, when Cleveland is on the field. (As you well know, we would gladly put everything on the line for our beloved Tribe!) We created this blog so that family, friends, and fellow baseball enthusiasts can follow our pilgrimage. We invite you to join us as often as you can.

Cheers! We’ll see you in the next town!!